Podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and a recent study from Triton Digital showed that over 40 percent of Americans listen to podcasts at least once a month.[1] Far from being a fad (podcasting is older than Facebook), the steadily expanding world of podcasting reaches millions of listeners every day.
What does this mean for writers? Podcasts are one of the most underutilized avenues for authors to reach new audiences and grow their brand. And if podcasting makes about as much sense to you as Klingon, hang tight! Book marketing and podcasting expert Thomas Umstattd Jr. has plenty of resources to help you make the best use of this platform.
He has over two decades of experience in web design and marketing since designing his first website at the age of fourteen. He founded AuthorTechTips.com to help authors promote their books, worked as Marketing Director for Enclave Publishing and Fahrenheit Marketing. He now hosts the Novel Marketing Podcast, and the Christian Publishing Show and serves as CEO of Author Media’s parent company, so when it comes to podcasting for writers, he knows what he’s talking about. We’ve compiled some of his best resources here to get you started.
Umstattd suggests four main ways to promote your writing through podcasts: listening to podcasts to improve your skills, guest speaking on podcasts, starting your own podcast, and advertising on podcasts.[2]
Listen to Podcasts
Start small. Listening to podcasts familiarizes you with the genre while educating you on relevant topics. Podcasts can be found on several platforms. Apple and Google both have designated podcast apps. These, along with the Spotify app, are the most popular ways to listen.
For writers new to the world of podcasts, Umstattd recommends the Novel Marketing Podcast, The Creative Penn Podcast for Writers, and the Christian Publishing Show. Podcasts capitalize on niche interests, so you may also be able to find podcasts related to your specific writing topics.
Guest on Podcasts
Authors increasingly frequent the podcasting world, and 90 percent of USA Today bestselling authors have a podcasting presence of some sort.[3] Guesting on podcasts lets you reach new audiences and build credibility without the commitment of hosting your own podcast.
Podcast guest are a boon to hosts because they provide a dialogue instead of one person trying to fill the time slot all by themselves. Author Media offers a free Podcast Host Directory that lets you search for podcasts in your niche and provides contact information for where to send your guest pitch.
A few of Umstattd’s guidelines for pitching include having a strong familiarity with the podcast you pitch to (don’t pitch to a podcast you’ve never listened to!), having your own equipment (your laptop’s built-in speaker doesn’t count), and having a readily available press kit.[4]
Start Your Own Podcast
To be an effective podcaster, you must first be a podcast listener. Umstattd recommends listening to twenty different shows and one hundred episodes before starting your own podcast. Like any other type of art, podcasting abounds with genre expectations a creator needs to know about.
Umstattd also encourages aspiring podcasters to guest on at least five podcasts before taking the plunge of starting their own show: “Starting a podcast is a lot like buying a puppy. It’s a lot of fun at first, but it’s a lot of work and resources and cost over time.”[5] So before you buy that proverbial puppy, test the waters by pet-sitting a friend’s puppy.
Once you’ve checked the boxes above, how do you actually start the podcast? Umstattd outlines the process step-by-step in his article, “How to Start an Author Podcast.”
Advertise on Podcasts
Podcast advertising is a still-developing field, which means the competition for airtime is much less competitive. Umstattd says, “When you buy Facebook ads or Amazon ads, you’re bidding against an army. When you buy podcast ads, sometimes you’re bidding against nobody. It’s like pushing on an open door.”[6]
He does caution that podcast listeners will expect any books advertised to come in an audiobook format. So if your book doesn’t have an audio version yet, hold off on paying for podcast advertising until it does.
Read his full guide for podcast advertising here.
Want to learn more about podcasting? Check out Umstattd’s courses at Author Media.
[1] Pierre Bouvard, “The Two Podcast Slides Every Marketer Needs to Have,” Westwood One, Cumulus Media, March 15, 2021, https://www.westwoodone.com/2021/03/15/the-two-podcast-slides-every-marketer-needs-to-have-new-data-from-edison-research-and-triton-digitals-infinite-dial-2021/.
[2] Thomas Umstattd Jr., “How to Advertise Your Book on Podcasts,” Author Media, October 14, 2020, https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-advertise-your-book-on-podcasts/.
[3] Thomas Umstattd Jr., “90% of Top USA Today Bestselling Authors Have a Podcast Presence,” Author Media, September 27, 2019, https://www.authormedia.com/90-precent-of-usa-today-bestselling-authors-have-a-podcast-presence/.
[4] Thomas Umstattd Jr., “How to Get Booked for Podcast Guest Interviews,” Author Media, October 7, 2019, https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-get-booked-for-podcast-guest-interviews/.
[5] Thomas Umstattd Jr., “Power of Podcasting,” presentation, PENCON, May 4, 2022.
[6] Umstattd, “Power of Podcasting.”
Callie Johnson works as Editorial Assistant at Kelli Sallman Writing and Editing with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing from Calvary University. She previously interned with Kelli for two years, working as proofreader and copyeditor on several manuscripts. Her strange obsessions include kerning, East Coker, and the sound of cows chewing.